Enter any address in Franklin County, Illinois to see its FEMA flood zone
Flooding, including flash flooding, has been a recurring event in Franklin County, IL over the past 30 years. Recent events include heavy rainfall causing rising water levels along the Big Muddy River in February 2025, resulting in brief minor flooding at Plumfield. In July 2025, torrential rainfall rates were reported along the I-64 corridor due to slow-moving storms with high moisture content.
National Flood Insurance Program data indicates that properties in Zone X and Zone X_SHADED have experienced the highest average claim payouts, with Zone X_SHADED also showing a higher average water depth. Properties in Zone A have also seen significant payouts with higher average water depths. Homeowners in areas designated as Zone A, Zone X, and Zone X_SHADED, as well as those near rivers and streams, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
49 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Franklin County, Illinois has recorded 125 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 39 flash floods and 86 river or area floods. The county has received 10 federal disaster declarations, 1 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1973–2020)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | May 8, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Record/near Record Snow | Snowstorm | Dec 21, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Tornado | Apr 21, 2002 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 28, 1996 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 6, 1983 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Flood | Apr 26, 1973 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | 10.00K |
| Flood | Feb 18, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 17, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 16, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 25, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Mar 24, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 18, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 8, 2023 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Jul 19, 2025
As high pressure slowly crept northward towards the Quad State region, ridging remained over the middle Mississippi River Valley. A slow-moving MCS moved through the northeastern half of the Quad State midday to near sunset. CAPE rose to 1000-2000J/kg in northern portions of Southern Illinois with effective bulk shear around 30kts. Extremely high moisture content with precipitable water values ...
Flood — Feb 18, 2025
Heavy rainfall (2-2.5) on February 15th resulted in rising water levels along the Big Muddy River with brief minor flooding at Plumfield.
Flood — Jul 17, 2025
A surface cold front stalled out as it moved towards the northern edge of the Quad State on the 17th. Showers and thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours, tracking eastward, including a broken line of storms moving through the Evansville Tri-State area mid-afternoon. An outflow boundary from a decayed MCS to the north helped initiate some of the storm development. MLCAPE was a very s...
Flash Flood — Sep 23, 2024
A SW to NE oriented heavy rainfall band crossed Southern Illinois during the late evening hours of the 23rd. A second band formed ahead of the first, and then merged together resulting in a localized higher rainfall total swath of 3-5 inches from Southeast Jackson County through Northwest Williamson County into Southern Franklin County. The highest observed rainfall total was a CoCoRaHS site 2 ...
Flood — Jul 16, 2024
Extreme rainfall totals occurred during the morning of the 16th in and around Nashville, Illinois, just northwest of the Quad State region, which resulted in a secondary dam failure. Neighboring portions of Jefferson and Perry Counties received 3-6 and 2-5 inches, respectively. Extensive street flooding occurred in Mount Vernon, while some roads north of Tamaroa flooded for the second time with...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Franklin County, Illinois:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Franklin County, Illinois that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.